Consequences
by Same As Never Was
Summary: Based off SAINW. Leo and Raph, no thanks to 'that Time girl', are taken through time and space, to a Hellish world very different from their own. No space races or super heroes here. First chapters are T, but eventual M for future, graphic morbidity.
1. A Whole New World

Disclaimer: TMNT is owned by Mirage and so do any other companies that have legal rights to the franchise.** I **do not own TMNT, however, or any rights thereto, because I am poor. Dirt poor. I don't even own a McDonald's toy. (I do have the movies on original VHS though!)

Please enjoy. Reviews and thoughtful criticisms welcome.

* * *

"Ugh.. anyone get the plate of that time truck that just hit me?" 

Leonardo stood up, slightly wobbly. Shaking his head, he muttered, "Remind me to tell Renee that we're no longer available to help her with her tests."

"Didn't know we even had to," growled Raphael. Man, if she wasn't a girl…

"Neither did I."

Finally getting their bearings (and balance), the pair took notice of their surroundings.

"So. Where the HELL are we? Or maybe, _when_? This sure as hell don't look like any past New York _I've_ ever seen in any history books." Since when were the glowing skyscrapers that sinister? An acrid smell drifted across their senses and Raphael suppressed a shudder. _It's downright creepy._

Even the clouds seemed to agree with him. Overshadowing everything, grey and red shone back from above, reflecting… what? What light could make such a hellish combination? _Feels like I've come off the on wrong side of a deal with the devil.. and I'm not even the one who made the deal! _He cracked his knuckles, glancing around. He felt an unquenchable need to double check his back every second.

"Raph…" Leonardo pursed his lips. "I don't know. It looks.. almost like.. Central Park. But… abandoned. Though it looks like someone might be trying to build it up," he pointed to construction equipment in the distance. Clearly something was wrong, but.. there was something else, too. _I can feel it, but I can't put my finger on it…_

"Yeah, construction, sure. Looks just like that, except for the minor detail of rampant destruction everywhere… What.. what's _happened_?" Raphael ran up atop a broken cat machine. He took a minute to verify that this was indeed, the Park by looking for familiar structures. He grimaced.

"See anything?" called up his brother.

"No. It's all the same! I don't get it, Leo. When in time did this place ever look this trashed?"

Leo pursed his lips, and stared down the street. A few humans in tattered clothes were beginning to eye them warily. "I don't know. But I have a hunch…

"Raph, let's go!" he called suddenly. "We can't stay out here like this. I have a bad feeling." _And it's only getting heavier.._

His brother hopped down off the equipment.

As they ran for cover, Leonardo couldn't help but think, _It feels like rain over our heads, but at the same time, like it hasn't rained for years._

_---  
---  
_

Eventually, they returned above ground. While some of the sewers were intact, there were not enough for safe travel. Bricks were dislodged and the supports had seemed to disintegrate with a glance. It only took three near misses with chunks of concrete to convince them that above ground would better serve their health than the shadows under the streets. Unexpectedly, the sour smells were almost worse above ground than they were below.

All around them, every hour, Karai's voice filtered through the air:

"**The Shredder is your Lord and Master! Obey him and live."**

"**Remember, the Shredder is always watching. He is watching you, always watching."**

"**Mind your Lord and Master. Praise his mercy in letting you live."**

"I swear, Leo," whispered Raphael. "I swear, I ain't seen so much misery even in those CNN news specials. What kind of future is this? How the shell could Shredder have ever won with _us_ around? I thought everything turned out fine. This looks like nothin' we saw with Cody!" Even without Donatello's scientific mind around, Raphael was desperate for an explanation. "Maybe.. maybe this is like one of those other world places we got sent to. Y'know, remember?"

Dirt, grime, and unhappiness clung to every corner of the city. With every new perch, every new block, more humans in tattered clothes appeared. "'Bout the only thing I'm seein' that matches up are those humongous tv screens everywhere—like the one in Times Square, just.. everywhere!" Even some of those were cracked though, near the outskirts of the city, and mostly from bullet holes. One had an entire, angled sheet missing. It had stared at the turtles, like a half-blind thing. One screen still had a faded picture of the Shredder, staring for all eternity. _'Burned in'--right, Donnie?_ thought Leonardo as they slunk by.

"Leo, where are we? This can't be our city," scowled Raphael. He grabbed his sai, tossing them from hand to hand, as they stood to rest for a second. He needed to flex his muscles—even with all the running they were doing, he could not keep from feeling antsy. He wanted to kick something, but the need to hide had never been so grave. "Donnie told us that in his world the Shredder won.. but then he said they beat him while he was here. Leo, the Shredder's still alive! Unless someone took his place, but.."

Leonardo stared out over the streets. One hand fingered the hilt of a katana. He understood how Raphael felt. He answered with an quiet edge in his voice, "I don't know. But we're going to find out."

Raphael was not surprised when he realized where they were going. It was as good as any other idea, after all. Where better to start than the old treatment plant? Upon arrival though, the place was completely unlived in. Well, save for a few hobos—one of whom had died sometime the previous night. He was stiff.

There was no sign the turtles had ever resided there.

They searched for a few minutes, making sure, but eventually Raphael sighed and stood up. He crossed his arms and gave the place one last glance.

"C'mon, Leo. There's nothin' here for us."

"Where else can we go then? We have to find someone! There must be someone in this world…"

"So you don't think it's ours? Glad I'm not the only one. This place is worse than any Hell I can think of."

"I don't know… I just.. I can't explain it. I just feel like we need to keep looking. This is clearly _somebody's_ future.. The dates on all the newspapers we saw made that pretty obvious."

Silence.

"Well, how 'bout the old lair? The one Karai busted up while you were gone to find Nirvana. Just 'cause _we_ moved out doesn't mean anyone else had to."

_---  
--- _

"Holy…"

The breath left Raphael before he could finish. Gaping at the space, his throat closed up; his mouth turned dry. Even if they had left… if they had eventually moved on… Age couldn't have done this much damage alone. Someone had been here once upon a time—and the scorch marks were all Raphael needed to prove it. Everything in the place was molded or burnt.

_How.. why?_ It was almost a replay of what had happened when Leo left but.. but somehow this was so much _worse_… Everything piled in the center with ashes still smudged into the floor.. He even thought he could still see the remains of an old photograph, or at least a part of one. Raphael's jaw tightened, and his fingernails dug into his palm. Why? Why indeed? He knew why. He damn well knew why.

Leonardo was just as shaken. Haltingly, he sweeped away thick cobwebs. His room was here.. The door had fallen years ago though, if the mold on the rusted hinges was any indication. Standing in the doorway, his hand on the doorjam, he was almost sure he could smell smoke. The fire was probably lit afterwards.. They had tried to round them up, but then--

_Crackle…_

A trap! "Ra--!" Turning quickly, his brother's name on his mouth, Leonardo only saw what he should have expected—Raphael with his fists clenched at his sides. It had been in his mind.

Yet…

He looked beyond his brother.

"Raph. What's that room behind you? Donnie's room?" Leonardo's eye ridges creased together as he turned away slowly from the broken remains of his bedroom.

Turning, Raphael glanced at Leonardo, then behind himself. He forced his muscles to relax before replying. "Uh. .yeah.. Looks like it.." Narrowing one eye though, he edged closer. "But.. it looks almost like someone was here after…"

"Salvage?" Raphael heard Leonardo land on the moist floor behind him.

"Maybe.. but then why leave all the other rooms? There's a lot less mold here, Leo. Fewer cobwebs, too. Someone was here _recently_." _Who'd be crazy enough to salvage through this mess?_

"Hmm." Leonardo thought for a second, "Do you remember when Do—"

CRASH! Without more warning than that, the high ceiling of the old lair began to collapse, filling the air with dust, mold, and chunks of cement.

"Raph!" "Watch out!"

Coughing, they tried to dodge away from the debris.

"Citizen," came a commanding male voice, "lower your weapons and put your hands up.**"**

_Like hell_, growled Raphael, tightening his hold on his sai. His attitude was ruined slightly by the hacking cough that followed.

"Citizen," repeated the voice, "lower your weapons and put your hands up."

Black forms jumped from above, each of them armed with heavy automatic weaponry.

"Raph, it's a recording!"

"Gee, ya think so?"

The forms began to fire.

_---  
--- _

"Think we lost'em?" Raphael crossed his arms as he leaned back against a support beam from a blown down building. God, it had taken them forever to escape from those goons.. Raphael wiped more sweat from his forehead. Lasers. They had laser guns! Damn the future, bullets were bad enough. They didn't need fucking phasers, too! _Somehow I doubt they were set to 'stun'._

"Yeah.. Yeah, I think so." Leonardo flopped down on a cement block and rubbed his face with his hands. This was so messed up.. He should have known better than to go back to the lair… Of COURSE it would have been monitored! "I'm sorry, Raph.."

Raphael pursed his lips and looked away. "Naw, don't. I didn't think of it either. Bastards. I hope whoever got there to use Donnie's stuff got what they wanted the last time they went 'cause they sure ain't gettin' anything now." The entire space had been blown away with missiles—missiles!

On their run away from the spotlighting helicopters, the turtles had passed three barracks on their way back to safety. After sewer dipping a few times, the finally returned to Central Park. They had taken the long way around this time, and no one seemed to be around. Of course, who would want to be in a park as gloomy as this one? Half the trees were dead.

Raphael shook his head. Barracks! In NYC! What the _Shell_?! And that was only the ones they saw.

"You think anyone's still around?" One hand twirled a sai idly—or he tried to make it appear idle. He was far too tense for that though.

"**Remember, the Shredder is always watching. He is watching you, always watching."**

Raphael fidgeted again after Leonardo failed to answer. _Wake-up, Fearless Leader. We don't have time for your obsessive-compulsive meditating right now. _He scowled, "Hey, wake up! You listenin' to me?"

Leonardo stared at the ground, thinking. Raphael's question had meant, _do you think anyone of us is still alive?_ Ignoring his brother's anger, he was silent for another two minutes. Clearly, the possibility that they might be dead skirted around both their thoughts.

"Maybe. I hope so. If we're going to be here as long as we were with the dinosaurs, we're going to need help."

"But Don said the Shredder was defeated. They took'im down, Leo!" He punched a fist into the other hand. "Him, Karai, they all went belly up! So what's all this? Did some idiot take his place or somethin'? I wouldn't think we'd stand for that, y'know. Just 'cause Don returned home is no reason to sit on their shells and let some new bastard tear our city a new one!"

Looking up at his brother, Leonardo's expression was grim. "I don't know. .. I really don't know…" He sighed in frustration. "I don't like to admit it, but I think we're out of our league here with just the two of us."

For once, Raphael had to agree with him. Leaning back, he stared up at the grey sky through a hole in the ceiling.

_---  
--- _

For four days they stayed hidden, helping when they could, finding food where available. They had stopped a rape the day they arrived and three murders since. Some petty robberies, a mugging… but no sign or word of their brothers or, and it was strange to think of it, themselves.

Then again, they had not gone around asking.

On the evening of the second night, a troop of foot ninja nearly tripped over their hiding place. At least, they supposed it had been foot ninja. They wore no previously recognizable uniform but their symbol had been that of The Shredder. They had been quiet, stealthy—Leo did not see them until it was almost too late. The brothers found a new spot to hide.

On the third day, they had seen another troop—but this one had been sloppier. Their uniforms not so neat and the man barking orders ("That's no ninja, that's a fucking dog--doesn't know how to shut up.") had seemed more overbearing than inspiring. They figured them to be the ordinary street power.

Around three AM the fourth day, the turtles awoke to a commotion above their heads. Tense, with weapons at the ready, they peeked above ground. If they were cornered, they were at least going to go down fighting; no one noticed them, however. The noise had been a large group of street thugs—almost a rally, really: chanting and grinning, laughing and spitting. Something about getting respect and telling the ninja to shove it.

The brothers returned to the sewers. Five minutes later though, they heard a large noise again—louder this time.

Suddenly, the ground rippled beneath them, explosions rang above them, and they fell sideways to the wet ground. Grappling with the walls, they struggled to stay standing as the sewer began collapsing. Rumbles echoed in their ears. Leonardo dodged a waterfall of debris, but winced as a brick fell on his ankle. _Damn it…_

From above them came the now familiar echoes,** "Mind your Lord and Master. Praise his mercy in letting you live," "Citizens, lower your weapons and raise your hands."**

"This way!" yelled Raphael. "I saw a manhole!" Shielding his head, he started for their way out

Leonardo struggled to follow through the thickening gloom, gritting his teeth.

"C'mon!" Turning around, Raphael jerked his brothers arm and wrapped it around his neck to help Leonardo walk. "Gotta move faster than that, Fearless!"

_---  
--- _

Raphael busted a bag of someone's dirty laundry sitting forgotten on a street corner. "Raph!" hissed his brother. "Quiet!"

His brother punched his hand, steaming. "Damn it! But if I get my hands on Renee again, I'm never lettin' go until that stupid stick of hers is broken over her head!"

Leo, grouchy by this time, agreed. "I'll hold her down for you, as long as I get a swing, too."

A grim smile spread over Raphael's face. "Of course. Wouldn't want to hog all the fun."

From a distance, a shadow watched them, then disappeared.

The brothers were sitting amid trash, trying to make as little noise as possible. (Except when Raph decided to destroy something. Leonardo was very thankful that laundry does not scream.)

Leonardo handed Raphael some of the bread they found. Half of it was moldy, but separate that part out and it was edible. Well, nearly.

"If I don't get something decent soon, I'm gonna be wastin' away to nuthin'." Grumble, grumble.

It was Leonardo's turn to scowl. "It's all we have, Raph. Be thankful for it."

"Thankful, he says! God, is this one of those stupid lessons from—shit!" Quickly, Raphael was standing on the other side of the alley, crouched low.

Leonardo perched atop an old fire escape. With narrowed eyes, they swung their heads around, searching for their attacker.

Where Raphael had been standing, a short sword was sunk into the ground.

"Ugh!" Raphael flew forward, kicked from behind. "What the--!" He spun around, only to get punched before he could so much as catch a glimpse of his attacker.

Shooting down, Leonardo swung hard with his katana. "Hya!" Swish! They whistled in the air, but only the air. Looking about, he saw no one. "Raph, stay alert! This guy's good.."

"Like I need to be told twice?" came his brother's gravelled voice.

Ching! Klang!

"Raph!"

"Wha-"

Ching, whistle, klink. A sai flew out of the dark.

Leonardo could not see their enemy through the darkness, but he heard Raphael's cut-off grunt and rushed forward with a yell, "I'm coming, Raph!"

There was a snort. "Heh, you sure about that?" The voice was familiar. A red-masked figure stepped half way into the dim light. In each green hand, a sai twirled. One eye of his bandanna was sewn shut.

Leonardo stopped dead.

He grinned. "Thought so."


	2. The First

Disclaimer: TMNT is owned by Mirage and so do any other companies that have legal rights to the franchise. I do not own TMNT, however, or any rights thereto, because I am poor. Dirt poor. I don't even own a McDonald's toy. (I do have the movies on original VHS though!)

Many thanks to my beta-reader! Who makes this better than it could ever be if I were on my own. (You'll all be seeing a subtle plug for her upcoming story later. Don't worry. It'll be subtle. Except for the link at the bottom. That won't be so subtle. Though, if I were completely honest, I'd say there's a subtle plug for it in here, too, but it's so subtle I don't think I can rightly even call it a plug. Anyway, I digress.)

Please enjoy. Reviews and thoughtful criticisms welcome.

* * *

Leonardo and Raphael noticed suddenly how dark it had become when their opponent stepped into the edge of the lamplight. When did night fall? When did the charcoal-blue haze turn back to the grey and red sky that first greeted them? Had this earth been this miserable when Donatello came? Staring at their opponent's only good eye, Leonardo wondered what else Donnie withheld from them. _You said so little, Don,_ thought Leonardo as he gripped his katana,_ no matter how much we pried. I think I'm beginning to understand why. Who would want to retell even a heroic story about a world that couldn't have gotten any worse even if you failed miserably? What kind of story is it when you literally have no where to go but up?_

_Now I wonder if it made any difference when you won. _

He pondered if this was how future Michelangelo had greeted Donnie. When asked, their brother had just shook his head. Eventually Donatello had been let alone.

**"****The Shredder is your Lord and Master! Obey him and live."**

And always those damn reminders. Raphael was sure they only played every hour, but was it just him or did they play more often even at night? _Can't get even a damn moment's peace around here. _The only seemingly good change in the air was that instead of the foul stench of the park, a waft of something sweet entered their noses. It reminded the turtles of freshly cooked pork.

The older turtle shifted.

"Wait!" Leonardo spread his weapons apart before their opponent could make another move. "We're not here to fight you! We've been looking for you. We're from the past and—"

Leonardo gasped and rolled to the side as a sai flew where his neck had been.

"Stop it! I said we're—!" Leonardo gasped as he was knocked to the ground. He rolled away as his brother launched himself at their attacker.

Raphael was sent into the air, but he landed on his feet, crouched low. _ Dirty, One-Eyed Pirate._

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he finally answered Leonardo. A scowl replaced the previous grin. "Gotta say, Shredder's gotten a lot better. Used to see you fucking clones ten miles away. With you guys, I needed at least _five_." He flipped back, picking up the sai he had thrown on the way.

Leonardo's brother came storming and rushed at his older twin again, who twirled and kicked him in the back. "Idiot," sneered One-Eye. "You even got the old weaknesses down. Too bad for you I'm Not--" Punch. "--That--" Punch. "--Stupid anymore!" Punch! Three punches sent Raphael back against a building, where he fell to the asphalt with a groan.

"Raph!" Leonardo jumped forward, attempting to disarm the older turtle, but was sent rolling over backwards instead.

"You guys are good... Nearly perfect copies…" Sai twirling, the older Raphael narrowed his good eye. "But only nearly," Leonardo watched a slightly mocking twitch form on the other's lips. He could just barely make out the words, "Just never learns, does he?"

Suddenly, Leonardo was defending himself from flying punches, kicks, and sai attacks. "We're not! Clones!" he grunted. "We want! Your help! Please!" He ducked, rolled, and swept his foot under Raphael with lightening speed, sending him to the ground on his shell. "Listen to me!"

Raphael, in turn, grabbed Leonardo's bad ankle and yanked it hard with a twist. He had been favoring it, Leonardo realized with sudden shock as his nerve endings screamed.

The young turtle gasped and tried to do a jump-kick from his good foot, but ended up crashing painfully on his side.

When Raphael leaned over him with his sai though, Leonardo set his jaw, rolled on his shell, and kicked with both legs, ignoring the agony that shot through him again, sending the other turtle flying against a dumpster.

Leonardo stood up again, sucking in air through gritted teeth and sweating from the pain. His leg felt about ready to fall off—if he did not chop it off himself. Swallowing, he clenched his weapons.

Young Raphael stood up from his place on the asphalt. His bruises were going to last a week, he was sure. Growling, he twirled then gripped his sai. He'd be damned if he was going to be taken down by some old fogey! Even if the old fogey was _himself_! _The ultimate sparring match. Well, Sensei always told me I should aim to win over myself, _Raphael thought bitterly._ Har dee har har._

He took a running leap towards his counterpart, who rolled out of the way. Yanking his sai from the ground, Raphael turned to make another attack but his twin had disappeared into the shadows.

"Damn it! I lost him! Leo, you got him?" He heard a soft intake of breath. "Leo!"

"I'm fine!" barked Leonardo, sounding irritated. "He's on your right!" Raphael turned just in time to stave off an attack with a body slam over his shoulder.

Leonardo grimaced and wiped his hand over his shoulder. Taking it away, he saw blood. _Shuriken_. Throwing stars. Looking up again, he saw his brother taking care of himself fine. Leonardo was thankful for that since the pull on his bad ankle had done even more damage than he had thought at the time. _I can barely stand, let alone help Raph. Damn it, but this is ridiculous! Why doesn't he believe us? They believed Donnie obviously…would it really be that much of a stretch to believe we're just like him? _

Leonardo watched the fight, but as the seconds ticked, he became more frustrated. _God, Donnie, I could sure use you. I don't know what you did to make them believe you, but it would be real helpful to know right about now. Did Mikey attack you too? You didn't say he did, and it sounded more like he helped you __**out**__ of a fight than throw you into one... _

The blue-masked teenager sucked in a breath, "Unless—"

"Leo, he's comin' your way!"

Clash! Clatter!

"Heh, whatsa matter, 'Fearless Leader'?" mocked their opponent. "Weren't you payin' attention? Too busy talkin' to yourself?"

Leonardo narrowed his eyes at the taunt. "I still have one sword—that's more than enough!" The barb stung because it was true._ I won't lose concentration again! _It must be the situation they found themselves in, he tried to reason—to be in Hell and fighting one of your own. In Leonardo's mind, only when Donnie had been transformed into a raging beast with little to no hope of cure had things ever been worse.

_No! I won't be defeated! Not then, and not now._

His opponent laughed sharply. "Right."

"Can't you at least listen to us? We're telling the truth!" Raphael groaned in the background as he approached_. Damn it, Leo, if he doesn't want to talk, don't talk! This ain't Dr. Phil!_

"I know… I know how you would pick on Mikey when we were kids! Break his crayons and such!" Memories.. Maybe through memories… _If Donnie hasn't come yet, of course he wouldn't know us! We're too __**soon**_

Unfortunately, Leonardo was not able to dig very deep. The drug Raphael had used on the shuriken was beginning to take effect. As his body felt heavier, his mind began to swim. "Your favorite cereal is Wheaties-- and.. and I, I mean your brother, likes rice and fish and pineapple pizza—"

Leonardo ducked and rolled to the side as One-Eye came again, but he was not fast enough. Raphael cursed as he saw Leonardo get flipped over and gripped by the neck. A sai pointed dangerously close to Leonardo's neck. "Thanks for the menu, but I don't think I'm hungry right now."

Leonardo was pinned to the ground with his sword under their combined weight.

_Damn it, Leo! Why are you bein' so slow? Stop tryin' to win him over and fight! _Raphael was sure his brother was being an idiot and trying to play 'peacemaker'. Whether or no, however, his brother was pinned. _That_ would just not do.

Muscles charged, Raphael leaped against the alley wall, then down—but he was sent back with a high kick for his troubles.

"I think you know the drill," rasped One-Eye. "You move. He dies. Very simple, right? I suspect you pro'bly like gettin' to the point as much as I do so I'll keep this short: drop your weapons, who is your immediate commander, and who designed you?"

Rolling to his feet, Raphael let out a noise of exasperation. "We don't work for anyone! Leo's been tellin' you the whole damn time we're not clones!" _If we were sent here just to die by my own, future hand..._ He cursed Rene for the umpteenth time.

"Raph! Talk to him!" urged Leonardo from the ground. "Say something only you would know!" _ I'm not sure I'll be able to do the same in a little while here… _In the past minute, Leonardo's mind had begun to swim; his body felt heavy. He was drugged. Already, he could feel his thoughts moving more slowly.

"Man, you are an idiot." The sai pressed into Leonardo's throat as the wielder ignored him. "I said drop your weapons. Do I need to illustrate my point? Are you one of those 'visual learners'?" mocked the green devil, shadows playing on his face.

Raphael had never known he could be such bastard.

"Talk, Raph!" The command broke his brother from his thoughts. As his brother cursed, Leonardo squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them. The grimy pavement, layered in dirt and rocks, helped him focus while pressing into his face. He tried to use the pain. _I have to… stay awake... Concentrate..._

The other teenager scowled. "Ahhh… When I was fourteen, I.. ah, I..Damn it, Leo!"

Glaring daggers, he spoke quickly, "Once I crashed my bike into a wall and got burned pretty bad, but I told everyone I got attacked. Everybody went searchin' for the muggers that did it for days, thinkin' they knew what I was, but since they never existed, we never found them. There!"

Leonardo blinked beneath the sai at his neck. _What the..?_ "You.. You _lied_? But we searched for days!"

"Yeah, I said that, Leo." _You'd think I'd never lied before, geez._

"But we ended up—"

"Hey, you gave the order, _Leader_, so shut up!"

"—dressin' in stupid costumes with big, pla-plastic heads," Leonardo licked his lips, "-in,in the _daylight_ and—"

"Leo, _shut up_. We got more important things to think about right now!"

"—an' we nearly got caught an'—"

Raphael gave his brother a look that said he was crazy. "Leo—"

"'An… Mikey fell in, in the trash.. the trash bucket.. trash.. the dumpshter… You.." Leonardo blinked, as though trying to stay awake. "You jerk…"

_What the fuck? Why isn't he shutting up?_ Leonardo could be a mother-hen with the worst of them but he usually knew when to shut it during battle. That Leonardo was beginning to slur concerned him, too. "Leo!" he snapped. "Quiet!" What did that guy do to him? Concussion? "Just stay awake and be quiet!"

While the pair were going back and forth, elder Raphael took a quick peek at his hostage. The teenager thought he saw a faint expression of satisfaction cross the other turtle's face.

Standing up, he then released the young Leonardo, who was nearly completely under. His eyes shutting and opening, Leonardo tried vainly to stay conscious. He tried to sit up, but his shaking limbs could not hold him. He fell forward again, letting out a sigh before falling asleep. Clearly, there was no further threat from him.

"Leo!" Raphael rushed his future self, roaring, not caring who heard them. "Damn you! What did you _**do**_?" Swiping left then right, the other turtle dodged them all before matching sai for sai. The other Raphael did not answer, focusing instead on the fight.

"Yer gonna pay for that—we were just askin' for your _help_!" Jumping up, he flipped back onto a wall, then came down again from another angle, but not before being sliced by two of three shuriken. They went unnoticed as he landed a punch anyway. What a mess.. What fucking mess.

_We're in a nightmare. A black, grey, red, and GREEN nightmare! Where Shredder is Satan, our lookalikes are his minions, and we're the new souls on the block. Friggin' wonderful. I always wanted my life to be a fuckin' emo movie. Better yet, a fuckin' emo movie with some one-eyed Pirate version of __**me.**_

"Y'know, this is great exercise and all, but I don't have time to play with you right now." One-Eye grimaced at his young copy.

"Too bad! You don't have a choice!" Young Raphael lunged again, but this time, the other turtle just jumped away, not even bothering to block. _What? Is he leaving?_

His answer came from behind as a third shuriken, slicing his calf this time.

He spun around. "Wha-… drugs!" He's trying to take him down with drugs! Raphael bristled. "_**Coward!**_" he screamed. "Come out and _**face me**_ if you're so tough! I.." Raphael stumbled as he tried to move forward. Shuriken could not give a large amount, so it took a long time for Leonardo to fall, relatively speaking, but Raphael was on dose three. _Drugged—the bastard poisoned Leo!_

The turtles _never_ used drugs; Splinter said it was not their way. He muttered under his breath, "Dishonorable, yellowbellied…" _Leo._

If Leo died…

_Damn it.. It's happening already… _Gritting his teeth, he turned his head, looking for a the other turtle. He had to be here. He would not leave them on the ground to be found, would he?

For the Shredder to find? For his foot police? His damn thug gestapo?

"Coward," he muttered again under his breath. "Can't fight me to my face.. Where's the damn honor in that? Huh? None of it, that's what… Jus'.. Jus' nuthin'.." _Leo, when did he get you? Did he get you when you were down? When… _His head swam. _Can't.. stand.. think?_ He spun around, looking for his brother. Where was he?

The ground? When did he fall? "Leo...?" Thump. His sai clattered next to him.

Finally, the only turtle standing reappeared. Through a haze, Raphael thought he made out a slight sneer cross the other's face as he muttered under his breath. "Shredder's losin' his touch if he thinks I'm gonna fall for the 'on the same side' routine. That only worked once and it wasn't on me." He studied the still forms, then nudged one with his foot—the one claiming to be himself. Raphael was too tired to wince and could barely feel anyway. One-Eye snorted softly, "Honor, huh? I remember when that used to be so cut'n'dry."

The older Raphael took out his sai, then hesitated. He stared thoughtfully at them, seeming to shake his head subconsciously. One-Eye muttered to himself, "Right down to the condescending 'I'm your fearless leader' tone." Snort. "Maybe Karai helped on that one."He stared down, twirling the sai slowly, taking a long moment. Raphael's half-lidded eyes closed the rest of the way.

Before he fell asleep, he heard a curse, then a crackle and a hiss. Faintly, on the edge of his hearing, Raphael heard a voice. "Hey, delta blue, it's Orwell. Yeah… I need a truck…. No, it's none of yer business. Tell yer commander-in-chief if you gotta problem with it. Get over here fast as ya can. Over around by site thirty seven. I'll signal." The hissing stopped.

As he drifted away, Raphael felt himself being dragged by a voice he could no longer place. "Gettin' soft in your old age, Raph. Too soft."_  
_

_----_

_----_

_Someone… talking? _

"—sure they ain't got trackers on them?"

_What? Who?_

"Paul scanned them thoroughly. I promise you, if they…. on their bodies, we'd have found them…."

_Familiar…_

"…deep? Just move'em."

Leonardo fell back asleep.

----

----

Leonardo jerked awake as he was dropped onto the bed. He heard a clank from a door not far away.

"It should be discussed with everyone, Raph. This concerns Leo, too, that's why I called him."

"Leo! What the hell does he need to know?" The voice was scoffing.. kinda like Raph. "He'll probably say, 'Sure! Put'em in charge of a unit, too!'"

"Raph, you know that's not true.." _April?_

As Leonardo's pupils adjusted, he took in his surroundings, but could not understand them entirely. He was in a cage.. with thick, metal bars. He was laying on a bed with some thin bedding. Next to him was a metal wastepaper bin, and on the door a slot for… food? Was he alone? _Mikey? Don..?_

No, Raphael was in the next cell, but not awake yet. _Why is he sleeping? Where are the others?_

"Well, you jus' wait. Either way he's worthless.." Leonardo turned his head. _Raphael?But I thought he was over…_

"He needs to know. What if it's true? Do you really want to kill yourself off on a lark?"

Slowly, Leonardo sat up. _My limbs feel so heavy. _He steadied himself by putting a hand on the wall. _So tired… Where am I?_

"Would it be that bad if I did?" The voice was bitter.

Leonardo then felt an urgent need to talk to someone. He needed to tell them… what? Here.. Why they were here. He had to stay awake though. Putting his legs to the cold, cement floor, he tried to stand up and fell back, grunting as he hit the wall. Slowly, he tried again. It was shaky, but doable. He then tried to use his voice, but it cracked. Leonardo coughed, trying to muffle the sound under his hand. The guard had already heard him try to stand though and called for April's attention.

"Sir, one of them's awake. The blue one." The voice was male, and very polite. Maybe even gentle.

Leonardo grimaced, thinking of how Mikey told them all that it was never good when he or his brothers were referred to by color. Mikey said that you knew someone was evil in movies when they used full names. He called it the foreshadowing of their lives. So funny now that he thought about it, actually. He lips quirked. Why was that so amusing to him?

He coughed again, trying to clear his throat. _No, I must focus_. "I.. " Cough! "I'm Leonardo," his voice croaked. "And.. and I think you're.. April?" He looked for his friend, and found himself staring an old woman. Grey hair, dry skin, but the same eyes he had known for years now. April? Strange, to see her as this elderly, raggedly dressed woman. He blinked slowly, trying to take her in, but the thoughts melted away into a drugged haze. He simply could not focus.

The woman studied him over. "Yes. I am," she answered calmly. "We looked you over for bugs but couldn't find any. Raphael brought you here, but you probably figured that out yourself."

Leonardo moved his eyes to the turtle behind her, but he was staring somewhere else.

"Yeah.." Actually, he had not thought of it yet. But sure, that made sense--about as much sense as anything **could** make to him, at the moment. He raised his voice, "Thank you, uh, Raphael, for.. for bringing us here." Leonardo bowed respectfully to the elder turtle, or tried to. The motion made him dizzy and he fumbled forward. One hand grabbed the bars as the other went to his face.

"You'd better go back to bed," April ordered. Leonardo swallowed hard, feeling sick to his stomach. He vaguely felt as though her tone were familiar to him. Like she was someone used to be followed… almost like himself. The woman continued, "The anesthetic will take more time to wear off. You should have been asleep for another two hours."

The turtle shook his head at this direction though. "Sorry for.. the trouble..? Yeah.. What? Wait." Leonardo took a breath. He wanted to say this while April was here. She would understand this kind of thing. She and Donnie knew bucketloads about science. "No, I have to say this… We're not from this world!" he blurted, almost desperately. "This time, I mean. Both, I think, but an atla-alternate one. We.. We got sent here because of some.. one.. She.." His eyes were trying to close on their own, but he forced them open. Leonardo felt the need to keep going. He was **responsible** for his brother. _If they don't believe me, we might not wake up again. I have to convince them for Raph and me! Have to... _

"Go to sleep. Tell me later."

"You know about those, right?" he continued, drawing in air. He leaned against the cement wall of his cell, hoping the cold would shock him awake. " I.. don't, unfortunately. No more than I've ever needed to.. I mean, Donnie does.. so you would too, I think. Right? Alternate choices, I guess? Making….alternate worlds? Something like that, I promise there's something like that… He explained it to me once, or tried.. I didn't quite understand it all… He said it was a theory…" _God, why can't I remember? I have to remember…! I wish Donnie were here._

"Leonardo," the woman's voice was firm. "Go to bed. We won't hurt you or your brother until we hear your whole story, I promise. You have my word."

He opened his eyes—when had they closed? "I think he said there's something like.. like a.. an infinite-.. " Stop. "Oh." Wait, what was he saying? Nevermind… "Thank you, April." He waited a second, feeling as though he had forgotten something, then shook his head. _Yeah, bed.. That would be real nice... I'm so __**tired.**_

It was so odd though, Leonardo thought distantly, as he drifted away again. Why would a prisoner need a wastepaper bin?


End file.
